1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toy guns. More particularly, the invention relates to toy guns incorporating a variety of special effects simulating the operation of an automatic or semi-automatic submachine gun such as a gatling gun and which are constructed in a more efficient and cost-effective manner than prior toy guns.
2. Description of Related Art
Toy guns have been known heretofore which exhibit certain special effects. Light and sound effects, barrel recoil, muzzle flashes, vibration effects and cap firing mechanisms individually and in limited combinations have all been used in toy guns to simulate real guns and/or to create fantasy effects thus enhancing the appeal of the toy guns to consumers.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,150 to Kuo discloses a vibrating and sonic device for a toy gun installed within a chamber of a toy gun body. The vibrating and sonic device therein includes a motor-driven mechanism operated by pulling a trigger. A shaking effect is imparted to the gun by the movement of an eccentric cam by a motor powered by batteries. The eccentric mechanism, lights and sound effects are controlled using solid state circuitry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,143 to Kuo discloses a toy gun including a trigger associated with a micro-switch. The micro-switch engages a rotatable wheel through a reduction gear. A link assembly, together with a rotatable wheel, provides a reciprocating motion and creates a kick-back effect. In addition, the link assembly is arranged to actuate another micro-switch which controls an audio circuit board and a speaker for generating a sound which mimics a gunshot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,110 to Ryan discloses a toy gun which simulates an automatic rifle or portable machine gun. The invention utilizes a rocker which is operatively associated with a rack, so that linear motion of the rack imparts a rocking or oscillating motion to the rocker. The toy gun also contains a clapper device, a cap firing device, missile expelling means or other means, individually or in combination, operatively associated with the rocker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,444 to Chih discloses a toy submachine gun which includes a body housing having a magazine housing and a pistol grip, a trigger, a plate spring and a contact engageable by the plate spring. When the trigger is squeezed, a motor drives a rotating arm through a reduction gear assembly. The rotating arm has an eccentric shaft reciprocatingly guided within a groove provided in the body housing. A striking plate spring also engages with the rotating arm so that then it is released therefrom it will strike a sound box. The reduction gear assembly, the rotating arm, the sound box and the striking plate spring are mounted in the casing so as to provide an enhanced vibrating feeling to the user of the gun by the reciprocal motion of the barrel casing.
Other patents of general interest are U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,641 to Chia-Fu, "Continuous Water-Ejecting Pistol Toy With Simultaneous Sound and Red-Flash Effects", U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,129 to Espisito, "Water Pistol And/Or Flash Light Structure", U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,872 to Sigg, "Multiple Action Toy Gun".
In addition, commercially available toy gun products demonstrating certain special effects include the "24001 Pulsator" gun sold by DSI which exhibits pulsating light effects, eight different sound effects and vibration effects. The "2300 Command Force" by SRM has a recoiling barrel, flashing light and sound effects. The "23015 Combat Force 0.50" by DSI has machine gun sound effects, barrel recoil, muzzle flash, a removable ammunition clip and a detachable tri-pod stand. The "Eliminator" by Tootsietoy six different realistic sound effects and two different fantasy sound effects, chaing barrel lights, strip cap firing, adjustable stock and removable ammunition clip.
Such prior toy guns, however, have not fully satisfied the consumer's quest for new and improved toy weapons exhibiting unique and distinctive features separately and in combination. For example, prior toy guns have not incorporated rotating barrels to simulate the action of an automatic or semi-automatic multiple barrel gatling gun-type construction as is provided herein.
Another problem with prior toy gun products which provide a diversity of special effects in operation is that they require relatively complex and bulky mechanisms to enable the achievement of each of the separate and combined effects. Thus, only a few effects have been incorporated in each prior construction as a result of the inherent inefficiencies of production and the accompanying costs of incorporating these special effects into prior toy gun products as well as the bulky dimensions which would result from the incorporation of a multiplicity of special effects into such products.